Quickly rename multiple files in File Explorer Windows in seconds

Using just one key press you can quickly start renaming files in File Explorer. Press another key and you’ll jump to the next one.

I just recently started using File Explorer on a regular basis, even though I'm a Windows user since Windows 95.

I’m a huge fan of Total Commander and if I can only use one file manager that’s what I would choose. But that doesn’t mean the simplicity of File Explorer is not something you should be appreciating.

One of the little things you can do in File Explorer very quickly is to rename a bunch of files.

How do you rename a single file or folder in File Explorer

First, you have to select the item you wish to rename. It doesn’t matter if you’re in icon view, details view, list view, content view. It always works, unlike in Finder on Mac OS.

Now just press the F2 key and the currently selected item name is selected, without the file extension.

You can just start typing and the old file name will be replaced with what you typed. If you move the cursor with the left or right arrow keys, you can insert text at the cursor location. You can even rename the file extension, but that’s not a good thing.

Windows will automatically detect the new file name and will use another program to open the file, not knowing the contents are for a different type of file, image, or document. You’ll just get an error if you rename the extension.

When you’re done with renaming just press Enter to confirm the new name. If you want to discard the change just press Esc.

Hint: this works for both files, folder, in File Explorer, open document popup windows, and on the desktop. 

How do you rename multiple items in the same Folder

If you want to take things to the next level and quickly rename multiple files do the following: while you rename an item with F2, just press Tab to jump to the next item. The previous item is renamed, and you can start renaming the newly selected item.

You can use Tab to jump between files and folders. Pressing Shift + Tab will select the previous item in the list, if you need to go back.

And that’s it, you don’t need fancy third party apps to rename files. No right-click menus, no complex shortcuts to remember.

Previous tips you may have missed

While you can use Alt + Tab to switch between open apps and Ctrl + Tab to switch between tabs inside an app, there’s a better trick to directly select an app from the taskbar or an open tab.